Trump Administration Cancels Ads Encouraging Obamacare Sign-Ups

Open enrollment for individual coverage under the Affordable Care for 2017 ends Tuesday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Open enrollment for individual coverage under the Affordable Care for 2017 ends Tuesday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

The Trump administration has canceled the latest round of federally sponsored advertising and outreach aimed at encouraging people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

The $5 million in ads was aimed at getting as many people as possible to sign up for insurance by the Jan. 31 deadline for open enrollment.

Many people wait until the last minute to sign up for insurance. The Obama administration’s goal was to get as many people enrolled as possible, especially younger, healthier people who help subsidize insurance for older and sicker people.

But Trump administration officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees implementation of the Affordable Care Act, canceled the ads. The move was first reported by Politico.